Metz v Lille: Europa push meets relegation fight | OneFootball

Metz host Lille in Ligue 1 on Friday, 6 February 2026 at Stade Saint-Symphorien, with the bottom side chasing survival points and the visitors looking to steady a European bid.

Lille sit fifth with 32 points and have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture, including a 6-1 home win in October. Metz are 18th with a goal difference of -25, and defeat here would deepen a run that has left them rooted in the relegation places.

Form is fragile on both sides. Metz have taken one point from five league games, including a 5-2 home loss to Lyon and a 1-0 defeat at Angers. Lille have lost four straight in the league, beaten by PSG, Strasbourg and Lyon in that sequence, though they did edge past SC Freiburg in Europe.

Availability could matter. Metz are without Jean-Philippe Gbamin through suspension, while Pape Sy, Joseph Mangondo and Alpha Touré are injured. Lille list several absentees, including Nabil Bentaleb, André Gomes and Thomas Meunier, with Hamza Igamane also sidelined.

Routes to goal look clear. Metz have conceded 46 league goals at 2.3 per game, so Lille's 53% possession profile and strong open-play crossing accuracy of 20.55% may suit service into Olivier Giroud. For the hosts, Gauthier Hein leads the way with six league goals and four assists according to the current rankings, and his supply to Habib Diallo could be pivotal.

A home win would lift Metz to 15 points and could trim the gap to safety. Victory for Lille would move them to 35 points and strengthen their grip on the European places.